City Council Preview - July 18

Here’s what’s on tap for Tuesday night.

START TIME

Will be 7 pm as usual. Beginning in August we will start our 5:30 pm public comment opening, subject to approval at the July 18 meeting. I asked the people at Lake Forest Town Square how they liked the new starting time. Here’s how they voted –

• Prefer to start at 7 pm – 13
• Can make 5:30 or 7 pm – 12
• Prefer 6:30 – 8
• Prefer 5:30 – 2
• I never go - 4

We’ll start on Aug 1 at 5:30, hear public comment until 6 pm, then adjourn into closed session, and re-open at 7 pm for the general meeting. For the near future, we’ll also allow public comment at 7 pm for those who didn’t know it was re-scheduled. At the end of September we’ll re-assess.

GENERAL PLAN

My colleagues, all of whom call themselves fiscal conservatives, want to throw away $1,000,000 on a general plan revision. I’ve discussed this folly in detail previously – Click Here. Since that time my original impressions were confirmed by looking at the Huntington Beach General Plan revision which was just finished. Click Here.

VETERANS PARK

Along with Councilman Robinson I suggested that we turn Village Pond Park (VPP) into Veterans Park (VP) and also begin using Heroes Park (HP) for the Police, Firefighters, and others who gave their lives for the community. I posted a survey on Lake Forest Town Square and here are the results (as of July 14) –

• Turn VPP into VP – 28
• Make HP into VP – 23 people
• Do nothing – 5

Some relevant comments –

"I like the idea of renaming VPP because it's an actual park. Heroes is a ballfield called a park."

"Yep VPP but something HAS to be done for maintenance and clean up, otherwise it's pointless."

"It would be a disgrace and an insult to vets if the park becomes duck park again filled w poop and filthy. I like the idea of Veterans Park if it is clean and kept up. It would be a wonderful tribute."

"Any, as long as it's not some embarrassment to LF, is clean and well maintained, anything called Vets deserve the best only"

RIGHT TURN ON BAKE/TRABUCO

Despite strong opposition from City staff, Mayor Pro Tem Basile got this item on the agenda. If passed, this will create a dedicated right hand turn on Bake into Trabuco. The benefit will be that right turning traffic will flow. Right now because people who want to go straight are often in this lane, the right hand traffic stops and waits for the light to turn green so the straight people can move.

Many people have advocated for this change for years. Staff estimates that the cost will be between $75,000 to $100,000 for changes to the medians.

SPORTS PARK LANDSCAPING

A few weeks ago Mayor Voigts was extremely critical about the shape of the landscape at the 87 acre Sports Park. He took me for a ride and we looked at the Sports Park and elsewhere and quite frankly I was embarrassed at the poor quality of our landscape. Just about everyone else is doing a better job keeping their landscape in good shape.

Now we are looking at an amendment to the current contract that would add $830,586 to the $2 million contract. Why would we be extending a contract for a contractor who isn’t doing a good job?

Even more telling, why have we adopted a landscape model that works in Oregon (where there is plenty of rain) while we live in an environment which is more desert-like?

SLURRY SEAL

Staff recommends approving $805,985 for Roy Allan Slurry Seal to provide services in Zone D (East of Trabuco, North of Lake Forest Drive up to Portola Pkwy). Roy Allan was the low bidder. The next lowest bidder was American Asphalt ($826,022). Roy Allan previously did work in FHR and PH. City staff called their work “excellent” but I heard from several people about the poor quality of the work in FHR.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dr. Jim Gardner is on the City Council for Lake Forest. You can check him out on LinkedIn and/or Facebook and you can share your thoughts about the City at Lake Forest Town Square on Facebook. His comments are not meant to reflect official City Policy.

Dr. Gardner has office hours every Tuesday from 4 pm to 6 pm at the City Hall. In addition, he holds a mini town meeting every month. The next meeting will be on Sept 9 at 2 pm at the Foothill Ranch Public Library.